tirsdag 29. desember 2009

Christmas and Birthday

24.12.09 Thursday
Today we met at the volunteer apartment to celebrate German Christmas. We made bruscetta and pizza our self and did the secret Santa. It was really nice. Everybody got very personal presents and everyone was truly happy for them. I got earrings and a bracelet which I really wanted from Chris. Later we ate fruits with chocolate cream. Around ten Gioia and me left for our host family, it was a little hard because we had such a good time with the others. But of course we had to see how Ecuadorian Christmas works. They do not start before 10 pm. They did start with singing and praying. Then hundreds of presents were given away. I got sweets and a really colorful scarf. I had seen them but would not buy one because of all the colors, but I love it as a present. Afterwards there was more food! Gioia and I shared one plate because it was so much.
25.12.09 Friday
In the morning we made pancake breakfast in the Ramses (Volunteer house) I spent my day with Marlene and Jens doing nothing but talking. Later we had a party at the Ramses. We went to a club called “No bar” and ate Mc Donald’s from the drive through by taxi at 4 am. A different Christmas one could say… 
26.12.09 Saturday
We stood up around 10 am and made Pasta for breakfast. Then we bought a lot of good stuff (Oreo-cookies, Milk, Ice-cream…) sat down and just talked for 5 hours about everything and nothing. It was great!
After a little break at home we met again in the Ramses and waited for my birthday. Celebrating of course. At 12 pm we drank champagne and went out to party afterwards. At the “No bar” I got an champagne shower like at the formal 1. It was really funny!
27.12.09 Sunday
I slept out for the first time in Ecuador, until 11 am. That was NICE! At 4 pm all my friends came to my house. Elsa had made cake and tea. It was almost like home, especially because Gioia made a cheesecake for me! Wow! I got and really beautiful box and the coolest T-shirt ever. It says “Is schon schön…“ This is one of the stupid frases we use here all the time. The others have the same t-shirts in their colors and mine is red and black of course. Elsa and Pepe gave me a little purse.
Later we wanted to go to the cinema but there was nothing. So we bought 2 DVD’s and had a relaxed movie evening at the Ramses. At 12 we continued the celebrating because now it was Sara’s birthday!
28.12.09 Monday
We ate breakfast in one of our favorite restaurants, the “Coffee & Toffee”. Then I took care of some stuff. Like going to the police because of the 100 $ that got stolen from me. At around 2 pm I was in the Ramses again. Were we made a poem for Sara and had her birthday cake. Later we ate Swiss at an restaurant because Sara is Swiss. Then we went to Party, around 2 am I was in my bed.

torsdag 17. desember 2009

A lot of things happen

In the weekend 4. and 5. december I was in Quito for the fiesta de Quito. It was nice to be with mt people there but it was a big contrast to the countryside.
On monday the 7th I bought a lot og stuff for my traditionel cloth.
On Thuesday the 8th there was born a baby here in the village whic I visited when it was 12 hours old. And you know what? They are goning to name her after me! That is so cool! I do not really know why, but however...
On wednesday I but on the traditionel cloth for the first time, they are caled anako. The people liked it really much and all the men told me I was beautiful, it was kind of funny.
On friday the 11th we made bread in an big oven, it took hours and was really interessting. First make fire, than the ...., form the bread and than bake it. The baking itself took omly a few minutes in the really hot oven. It was delicious of course, my hostmother had to tell me not to eat more warm bread because it would make my stomic hurt. Hihi...
On Saturday I met some of my friends from Quito in Otavalo, a town near by, where a really big handycraft market is. We shopped all day! It was really nice to hang out with them and talk to someone who I understand imidietly. Sunday is football day and we watched the lokal game. We although visited an botnic garden which is not jet finished, but will be opened for tourists soon. It is to show all the plants which are used by the indigenas to eat and heal.
Monday the 14th was a bad day for me. In the night I had a stomicace and I felt quite week all day and did nothing. Of course I gor lonley after all day in my room.
Tuesday was great, even if I stood up at 4 o clock in the morning. We took a pick up and then walked one hour (at 5 in the morning) steep up to get to a field. We had breakfast when we arrived (6 o clock). It was chicken and potatoes, sounds crazy but I did not care a bit, I was hungry after that walk man! Then we worked hard until 1 pm, 7 hours of work! We had dinner at the field, potatoes and some kind of meat which I could not eat, it was wiered. ;) Than we walked back down and took a pick up home. We did nothing more that day!
Thursday the 17 th was qutie exciting. First I want to say that I tried to publish this article then but the energy went two minutes before I was done. In the morning we where in Otavalo and when we came back my hostmother reconised one of the pigs was sick.It died within 30 minutes. I was kind of shocked. ( I think it might have lived 10 minutes longer, if we would not have treadted it with icecream. Because I doubt the medical effect og icecream for pigs...;)) My hostbrother took a knife and punched it in the heart og the pig. Now I know that all animals have their heart at the right side. Then we went into the wood to get leaves to burn away the hair. After that we guted the pig. That was kind of hard for me, but I think I was brave. I even ate some skin, which was kind of grilled from the burning. In the evening I met the german doctor who lives in the Calera, my comunitiy, Jacob.
Friday the 18th really nothing happend. At Saturday I watched two footballgames. My hostbrothers won both. The first 3-0 and the second 5-3. It was nice to hang out a little with the men of the family, because normaly I am much with the women. At Sunday the 20 th we went to church in the morning and in the afternoon there was a meeting to get to know the achievement of the election of the new president of the Calera. There where although elected ministers for tourism, the women in the Calera and sports.
At the 21 th we worked hard the whole morning to clean a field. In the afternoon I went to Otavalo with my hostmothers to buy sweets for the children for Christmas. I think they where very happy what I bought some too.
Yesterday I just packed my stuff to travel to Quito today. I got the cows from the field, for the first time alone, or only with my little hostsister. And in the morning I bought a little present for one of the girls in the Calera, to do a secret Santa. Which I gave to her in the evening when I atended the Divino del Nino for the last time.
Today I traveled to Quito in the morning. I met my hostfamily and now I sit in an Cafe to write. Later I will meet the other volunteers. Tomorrow in the afternoon we will celebrate together and to secret Santa. In the evening I will celebrate with my family here, they don*t start before 10 pm!!!
Well that is it for now. I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a happy new year! (Which I will spend at the coast!) If you have to much time, there are finally more pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.de/lynn.marquardt

onsdag 2. desember 2009

BEAUTIFUL!

My dear friends and familiy sorry for scaring you, it is sooooo beautiful here! If you could see, you would fly down here at once. My familiy is really nice and the house is really swaet. They have chicken, pigs, cows and guinneapig. The garden is with about everything, yesterday we made marmelade from blackberries. The indegious people are so beautiful and the womens clothe too. Yesterday we also farmed a piece of land. I have never worked so hard in my life. You know what you have done if you farm a field with your hands. And the sun burns ALL day and the mosquitos bite me. The life at a farm is a really cool and very new experience. The life here is really hard, even if I tried to imagine it was a little shock. It is amazing that the family does not laugh at my stupid questions, I would like too have a book: "farming for dummies". Today was more easy there was so much sun that we did not work very much. There is warm water too, sometimes. ;)
My family has 7 members, father and mother. Their 3 sons, one with his wife and daughter. Of course there are tons of other family members in the houses around. I have a room and bath for myself. I sleep rally well, but unfortunaly I am still a little sick. I am so glad I did this project, it is the closest I will come Ecuador. And it gives me experience I did not even dream about. To live with the indigious people is really a great gift to me!